Mustang Messenger
2019-2020 School Year: Volume 20: Week of February 3, 2020
Be the Best YOU at Grandview!!!
School Matters!!! Attend Today....Achieve Tomorrow!
Dear Families,
The second half is here and we are going to be putting a lot of focus on attendance and ensuring that our students are at school each day and on time. We are going to increase our communication to all of you to work with you to get your kids to school.
One change we are doing is to support the families with more timely communication. The Grandview Office is going to be sending home more frequent attendance letters letting you know the number of days that is being reported. Also, if we are getting into truancy issues, then we will be having a meeting to put an attendance / truancy plan in place for the families.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
• Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read.
• Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
• Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.
In the end, attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
Report cards went home last week. Attendance is reported on the attendance, as well as, attendance letters and NWEA. It is imperative that families understand was sent home so that you can support your child's learning. You have questions, contact the teacher or set a meeting.
Valentine's Day dances are this week!! We hope that you will attend the fun!!
Thank you for your continued support at home!
Your Proud Principal,
Melissa Carruth, Ed.S
Great Week of Learning & FUN!!!
3rd Grade Mathematicians
2nd grade Mathematicians
3rd Grade Readers
1st Grade Math Talk
Congrats Mrs. King
Principal's Breakfast
What can you do???
So you have the number of absences and want to make a change and break the habit . So what can you do??
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Set a regular bed time and morning routine.
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Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
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Find out what day school starts and make sure your child has the required shots.
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Introduce your child to her teachers and classmates before school starts to help her transition.
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Don’t let your child stay home unless she is truly sick. Keep in mind complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
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If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors, or other parents for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
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Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
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Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.
Valentine's Day Dances
Just a note, that we know that family dynamics may not fit into the combinations that are listed below. If you want your child part of the dance and your child cannot have the a companion that fits the list below, please reach out to FOG and we will allow your child to be there. We want all Grandview students to enjoy this special event. Just reach out so that we are aware......
WIDA
All students who have a language other than English spoken at home and are identified as English Learners must take a state test called WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (Accessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners). The Enrollment Office form that was completed when your son/daughter enrolled in Clarenceville Schools tells us this information. Students will take the test eve if they are not attending ESL/EL classes. The test is for Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking and Comprehension in English. Students will take the test between February 3-March 20, 2020. We will mail your child's test results to you when we receive them from the Michigan Department of Education. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Morrison at 248-919-0404.
Parent Walk-Up
Still no improvement. It looks like I will have to close the parent walk-up and we will have to only use the parent pick-up in the back. Safety is my #1 concern and currently, parent walk-up is not safe at both arrival and dismissal. If you live by the school and your child is a walker, then you will still be able to walk. If you have a child in GSRP, then you will continue to park in the lot and walk up to pick up your child. So it would be great if families start practicing parent pick-up in the back.
I will continue to monitor throughout February and make a decision in March. Remember I am doing this because of safety. I need us all to be more safe.
1) Do not have your students cut through the buses to get to the car. The students can walk down the sidewalks and then walk through the parking lot with their parent escorting them.
2) Do not flag your child to come to the car. Park your car and walk up to the front of the school to pick up your child.
3) The parking lot is SMALL. Therefore, there are not enough spots for all the students who do parent walk-up. The solution is not to fill up the bus loop at any time. The loop needs to stay clear until the busses leave.
4) Do not park in the handicap spots, unless you are handicap and have the accurate documentation.
5) The front loop needs to stay clear for our busses, especially in the morning. The Special Education bus loops through after the general education bus. Please keep the loop clear until 9:15 so that our bus can get our students to Grandview.
Please hold each other to these expectations. There needs to be a change or I have to close the Parent Walk-up for only the students that walk. We need to be safier Grandview families.
5th Grade Camp
$50 Deposit was due last week. Please communicate with your child's teacher about camp. If you need help with the expense, please reach out to your child's classroom teacher. We are wanting a 100% participation with Camp. It is a memory making event for your child and a great momento for their days at Grandview.
Grandview Math Night -- RESCHEDULED AGAIN
Grandview Restaurant Event
Want a night off from cooking!! Then come and join us for our next Grandview Restaurant Event on Monday, February 10th ALL DAY at Olga's at Laurel Park 37612 Six Mile Rd Spc. E-400, Livonia, MI 48152. Proceeds of this event comes back to Grandview. Be sure when you are there you let them know you are here to support Grandview Elementary!!
Career Day
Report Cards
Report cards were sent home last week. If you did not receive the report card, please contact your child's teacher. Attendance letters and NWEA reports were sent home with the report card. If you have questions or something does not seem clear, please reach out to your child's teacher.
FOG Popcorn Day
It is February, new popcorn days. Due to Candy Grams being delivered on the 14th, there is only one popcorn day, the 28th.
$0.50 a bag!
Little Caesar's Fundraiser
5th grade is holding a Little Caesar's fundraiser for 5th grade camp. If you do not have a 5th grader, you can still order!!! You have the option of ordering online and pick up the kids at Grandview, or you can have your order shipped directly to your address. There are order forms in the office, you can ask Mrs. Smith, school secretary, for more information. Last day to order or sell is this Friday.
Grandview 5th Grade Trip
Fundraiser ID #: 375549
Website: https://www.pizzakit.com/fundraising-products?shop=1&cont=1&t=lc&sf=1
School Store Fundraiser
Our next office fundraiser is underway. This is a Win-Win fundraiser as the school earns money, as well as, the classroom teacher. This fundraiser helped to purchase the clay that is used for art, this spring's assembly, as well as, the supplies for March is Reading Month.
School Store is an online shopping mall with over 400 nationally-known merchants including Sears, Target, Oriental Trading Co., Office Depot, Toys"R"Us, Family Book Store and many more. When your family and friends make everyday purchases from their favorite merchants through SchoolStore.com, your school, and classroom teacher earns money.
All you need to do is going to www.schoolstore.net and enter Grandview Elementary School's code (0000009438) and then shop away.
Grandview Sports
Below is this week's schedule and important information.
This week is a light week for Floor Hockey. Here's the schedule...
Wed 2/5
@ 6:00pm Purple Cubs (PW 2) vs Red Dragons (PW 3)
@ 7:15pm Pink Pixies (Jr 2) vs Green Ninjas (Jr 3)
*** NO Senior League Games this week because of the Valentine's Dances at Grandview ***
Click on the following link for Practice and Game Times.
Please remind your children of the Code of Conduct is for both on and off the Floor Hockey court. We want our athletes to maintain the terms of the conduct during school, as well as, during the games.
Stacey Wittscheck, Grandview Sports Director, has a Grandview Sports website that has the documents linked. All of the information from schedules, rules, code of conduct, sign-up, forms, etc. will all be housed in one location. Check out this great communication piece for our families!!
Questions, reach out to Stacey at her email at GVSportsDirector@gmail.com.
Also be sure to follow the Grandview Sports Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/GrandviewSports/
Shoe Donation
Grandview FOG is starting their next fundraiser. This fundraiser does not need you to purchase one thing or give any money. This fundraiser is collecting used shoes. So if you plan on cleaning out closets, purchasing new shoes for the holidays, or have students who feet have grown through their shoes, we would gladly take them!
Outside of the music room is a large box for the shoe donation! So feel free to drop them off in the box or drop off in the office!!
This fundraiser not only will give back to Grandview, but it will give back to the world for students who are in need!!! It will continue through January and February!!!
To learn more about this fundraiser, click on this link....
Winter Weather is here.....Dress Appropriately
Please help remind your child to leave their coats on, no matter how warm they are. The temperature is cold and you all sent them with jackets and we do not want our students to get sick because they are not wearing their coat outside for recess.
Additionally, if your child medical conditions restricts them to be outside, please do not just send a note in from you. We need to have a medical note. Our office is becoming packed with kids that say, "my parents told me to stay in." We welcome them to stay in, but we need the medical note as we have kids that have medical restrictions and they do not have anywhere to sit due to the kids that do not have the medical note.
Box Tops for Education
We have a BoxTop Collection that is due March 1st. So any box tops that can be cut out are due February 26th.
Please remember that Box Tops are moving away from clipping paper box tops and moving to scanning qualifying receipts to earn school money.
Last year, Grandview earned $757.50 with Box Tops and we do not want to lose that revenue.
There is a Grandview parent that is already earning box tops via apps. Please download the app and log in, it is easy. Questions, stop in the office!!!
STEM Family Event
Dream Big, Dream Together (flyer attached) is a free family event on Monday, February 17, 2020 at Oakland Schools (2111 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford, MI 48328) from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm for 3rd through 8th grade students. Please share this exciting opportunity for your families to join us on President’s Day for a free showing of the acclaimed “Dream Big: Engineering Our World” documentary, showcasing the important role that engineers play in our society. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in a STEM activity after the movie to further their interest in engineering and STEM careers. Parents are encouraged to watch the preview and/or read reviews of “Dream Big” to determine appropriateness for each child.
Registration for the event is through Eventbrite (https://OSDreamBig.eventbrite.com).
CEF Bowling Event
WatchDOGS where are you? We need you!!!
It is super easy to begin....just find a day, a 1/2-day, or a few hours and come to the Grandview office and ask for Miss Venessa. She will place you on a WatchDOG schedule and classrooms.
Come on in WatchDOGS!!!!! I case you forgot what a WatchDOG is, see below.....
WatchDOGS are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father-figures who volunteer for at least one day each year at an official WATCH D.O.G.S. ® school. During the day, WatchDOGS may read and work on flash cards with students, play at recess, eat lunch with students, watch the school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow and any other assigned activities where they actively engage with not only their own students, but other students as well. Grandview would like to start the program as I am hoping that the mere presence of a WatchDOG dramatically reduces reports of bullying. On the day of their participation, WatchDOGS are given a brief review of their involvement and they wear an official WATCH D.O.G.S. ® t-shirt with a disposable ‘Dog Tag’ identifying them as WatchDOGS.
If you are interested in volunteering for this program, please contact the office or Ms. V, our Student Support Coach, at venessa.zverotic@clarencevilleschools.org.
A Note From Our Specials Teachers....
Again, A Message from Mr. A
Hello Grandview!! It's great to be back. Yes, I had a successful surgery and am looking forward to complete recovery. I'm already 5x better than when I left. Thanks to all of you who gave me such a warm welcome back.
At this time, I would like to extend a big Thank You to Mrs. Napoleon for stepping in and taking over while I was gone. It's not easy to take over subject you're not familiar with, especially long term.
Believe it or not it's almost time to start rehearsing for the Spring concert. Music is being organized and plans are being made. I've made the decision that this year we will have a concert Without a Theme! I know, kinda scary! More to come on that in the future.
As far as Band and Choir goes, we are back with regular rehearsals. What that means is, you should be hearing more and more practice at home. The information and techniques are introduced and rehearsed at school but the real progress comes with practice and repetition at home. Remember to encourage them and volunteer to listen to them. It only gets better with time.
Once again, It's good to be back! Mr.A
Pink Out Store
The Importance of Sleep
Transportation Changes
School Hours
School Doors open at 8:20 and the students will report to their grade level location. At 8:25, the first bell rings and the 2nd bell rings at 8:30, when learning begins.
At dismissal, parent walk-up and pick-up will begin to be dismissed at 8:35. The final bell is at 3:40 when all students will dismiss from their afternoon dismissal location.
Your child is marked tardy starting at 8:40. Attendance and tardy was a problem at Grandview. Please do not get into the same routine this year. We need your children in school each and every day!! Also, your child will not be released after 3:15, unless plans were set beforehand.
Free Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Late Drop off and Early Pick Up
Tardy is marked starting at 8:40.
Children will not be allowed an early dismissal from the office after 3:15 pm so we can ensure a calm and safe end to the day for all students. Please plan accordingly. If you need your child picked up between 3:15-3:40, please contact the office or classroom teacher in the morning so that we are ready for this early release.
Tuesday Night Night
Kroger and Grandview
Kroger and Grandview
We get money from Kroger if you add Grandview to your profile. Thank you to all of you who have already added Grandview to your account. Though know that it is never too late to sign-up and join!!! So shop away, Grandview is benefitting from your grocery shopping!
Simply encourage your participants to visit http://www.kroger.com. Once logged into their Kroger account they can search for Friends of Grandview either by name or TH003 and then click Enroll. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.
*Customers must have a registered Kroger rewards card account to link to your organization.
*If a member does not yet have a Kroger rewards card, please let them know they are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger
REMEMBER, purchases will not count for your organization until after your participants register their rewards card.
Participants must swipe their registered Kroger rewards card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Kroger rewards card when shopping for each purchase to count.
Volunteering at School
iChats are also needed to be filled out if you wish to be a WatchDOG dad or chaperone a field trip.
Job Opportunity
Important Dates and Upcoming Dates
February
6: Valentine Dance -- Mother / Son (6:30-8:00)
RS Savers
7: Valentine Dance - Dad / Daughter (6:30-8:30)
Last day to sell pizza kits
10: Olga's Family Night @ Laurel Park
10-13: Candy Grams are being sold
11: FOG Meeting @ 6 pm
13: Board of Education Meeting @ 6:30 @ the High School
14: Assembly -- Guy Louis -- Black History in American Music show
Candy Grams going out
17: No School -- President's Day
20: RS Savers
21: 2nd Grade In-School Field Trip @ 1:00 - Nuts about Science - Water
23: Grandview Red Wings Game
24: STMath Night - 6-7:30
26: Principal Breakfast -- Disciplined Students and Scientific Science Students
27: Board of Education Meeting @ 6 pm
28: Kick-off to March is Reading Month
Popcorn Friday
29: Clarenceville Educational Foundation Bowling Fundraiser